Phys.org news tagged with:extreme precipitationhttp://phys.org/
en-usPhys.org internet news portal provides the latest news on science including: Physics, Nanotechnology, Life Sciences, Space Science, Earth Science, Environment, Health and Medicine.Extreme downpours could increase fivefold across parts of the USAt century's end, the number of summertime storms that produce extreme downpours could increase by more than 400 percent across parts of the United States—including sections of the Gulf Coast, Atlantic Coast, and the Southwest—according to a new study by scientists at the National Center for Atmospheric Research (NCAR).http://phys.org/news/2016-12-extreme-downpours-fivefold.html
Earth Sciences Mon, 05 Dec 2016 11:50:14 ESTnews400161006Ensemble forecast of a major flooding event in BeijingAn extreme rainfall event occurred in Beijing, China, on 21 July 2012. The average 24-h accumulated rainfall across rain gauge stations in the city was 190 mm, which is the highest in Beijing's recorded history since 1951(Chen et al., 2012). The event resulted in major urban flooding in Beijing, with 79 people losing their lives. However, most operational model forecasts failed to capture the precipitation associated with the convection in the warm sector ahead of the approaching cold front (Zhang et al., 2013), which was a key factor contributing to the total amount of extreme precipitation (Tao and Zheng, 2013). Therefore, the intensity of the rainfall was significantly underpredicted by models.http://phys.org/news/2016-11-ensemble-major-event-beijing.html
Earth Sciences Wed, 09 Nov 2016 02:18:44 ESTnews397880317California droughts caused mainly by changes in wind, not moistureDroughts in California are mainly controlled by wind, not by the amount of evaporated moisture in the air, new research has found.http://phys.org/news/2016-07-california-droughts-moisture.html
Earth Sciences Tue, 05 Jul 2016 09:29:30 ESTnews386929759More frequent extreme precipitation ahead for western North AmericaIt may sound like a routine forecast, but it's not. Results from a careful modeling study conducted by researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory found that Western North America and Canada can expect a 28 percent increase in the number of extreme precipitation days, thanks to global climate warming. In addition, the wintertime storm systems that often carry those extreme rainy days will hit the coast 35 percent more often in the future. The primary mechanism for these numbers is atmospheric rivers, narrow bands of tropical moisture streaming each winter season toward the US West Coast.http://phys.org/news/2016-04-frequent-extreme-precipitation-western-north.html
Earth Sciences Fri, 01 Apr 2016 06:40:01 ESTnews378710467Team finds weather extremes harmful to grasslandsFluctuations in extreme weather events, such as heavy rains and droughts, are affecting ecosystems in unexpected ways—creating "winners and losers" among plant species that humans depend upon for food.http://phys.org/news/2015-09-team-weather-extremes-grasslands.html
Environment Mon, 28 Sep 2015 15:00:02 ESTnews362653013Ocean warming leads to stronger precipitation extremesDue to climate change, not only atmospheric, but also oceanic, temperatures are rising. A study published in the international journal Nature Geoscience led by scientists at the GEOMAR Helmholtz Centre for Ocean Research Kiel shows that increases in sea surface temperature can contribute to the development of stronger precipitation events. Their findings are underpinned by flash-flooding in June in the Olympic city of Sochi, Russia.http://phys.org/news/2015-07-ocean-stronger-precipitation-extremes.html
Earth Sciences Mon, 13 Jul 2015 13:15:22 ESTnews356012115Study shows Colorado's biggest storms can happen any timeIn a state known for its dramatic weather and climate, Colorado's history of extreme precipitation varies considerably by season and location, according to a new study led by the Cooperative Institute for Research in Environmental Science, a partnership between the University of Colorado Boulder and NOAA.http://phys.org/news/2015-05-colorado-biggest-storms.html
Earth Sciences Wed, 20 May 2015 18:36:38 ESTnews351365788Examining the causes of a devastating debris flowStorm-triggered landslides cause loss of life, property damage, and landscape alterations. For instance, the remnants of Hurricane Camille in 1969 caused 109 deaths in central Virginia, after 600 mm of rain fell in mountainous terrain in 6 hours. More recently, on 8 August 2010, a rainstorm-induced landslide devastated the Chinese county of Zhouqu, causing more than 1000 deaths. A new modeling study by Ren, published by Geophysical Research Letters, examines the multiple factors, both natural and human caused, that came together to produce this event. The triad of storm-triggered landslides is geological condition, surface loading and vegetation roots, and extreme precipitation.http://phys.org/news/2014-07-devastating-debris.html
Earth Sciences Mon, 21 Jul 2014 11:08:22 ESTnews325159693How plants are responding to extreme rainfall trends and climate changeAustralian scientists are studying how plants worldwide will respond to more extreme rainfall in a future affected by climate change. They report that impacts will vary greatly across regions, meaning potentially dramatic disruptions to plant growth. This changed timing of rainfall may impact grasses and crops, with different rooting depths to trees, in different ways.http://phys.org/news/2014-06-extreme-rainfall-trends-climate.html
Earth Sciences Fri, 13 Jun 2014 09:00:06 ESTnews321866661Modeling challenges doused in simulations of important precipitation featuresBeing all wet was exactly the approach for scientists looking to piece together precipitation puzzles. New research led by scientists at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory investigated the reasons behind long-standing biases in climate models that depict a key climate feature known as the Intertropical Convergence Zone, or ITCZ. This feature is fueled by thermal energy in the tropics and forces warm, moist air to rise and dump rain over the tropics, and subsequently move toward the Earth's poles, descend and dry the subtropics.http://phys.org/news/2014-03-doused-simulations-important-precipitation-features.html
Earth Sciences Tue, 18 Mar 2014 05:42:43 ESTnews314340150Number of days without rain to dramatically increase in some world regions(Phys.org) —By the end of the 21st century, some parts of the world can expect as many as 30 more days a year without precipitation, according to a new study by Scripps Institution of Oceanography, UC San Diego researchers.http://phys.org/news/2014-03-days-world-regions.html
Environment Fri, 14 Mar 2014 09:19:23 ESTnews314007553Statistically linking extreme precipitation to global warmingExtreme rainfall can have serious effects on societies and ecosystems. Increases in extreme precipitation events are predicted to occur as Earth's climate warms, in part because warmer air has greater capacity to hold moisture, leading to more precipitation in a warmer climate. However, directly attributing changes in rainfall to global warming is difficult because climate models have limited precisions and because extreme events are rare and occur at irregular intervals.http://phys.org/news/2013-09-statistically-linking-extreme-precipitation-global.html
Earth Sciences Tue, 24 Sep 2013 11:34:32 ESTnews299241265NASA study projects warming-driven changes in global rainfall (w/ Video)(Phys.org) —A NASA-led modeling study provides new evidence that global warming may increase the risk for extreme rainfall and drought.http://phys.org/news/2013-05-nasa-warming-driven-global-rainfall-video.html
Earth Sciences Fri, 03 May 2013 15:04:40 ESTnews286812269Climate models are not good enough, researcher saysOnly a few climate models were able to reproduce the observed changes in extreme precipitation in China over the last 50 years. This is the finding of a doctoral thesis from the University of Gothenburg, Sweden.http://phys.org/news/2013-03-climate-good.html
Environment Mon, 25 Mar 2013 08:05:39 ESTnews283417533Devastating East African drought made more likely by climate changeIn 2011 a powerful drought gripped East Africa. The failure of both the 2010 fall rains and the 2011 spring rains caused a drought that, stacked on an already unstable political climate, caused a famine that led to hundreds of thousands of deaths. Whenever an extreme weather event strikes a population—a drought, a hurricane, or a powerful flood—questions arise as to whether ongoing global climate change is complicit.http://phys.org/news/2013-03-devastating-east-african-drought-climate.html
Environment Fri, 15 Mar 2013 09:20:01 ESTnews282554052Progressively wetter in NorwayClimate change will make life wetter for most Norwegians in the years to come. A rainier climate is expected nationwide, with the possible exception of southern Norway in the summers.http://phys.org/news/2013-02-wetter-norway.html
Environment Wed, 27 Feb 2013 09:03:38 ESTnews281178204For U.S. biomes, climate change will decrease vegetative productivityOne recurrently forecast effect of global climate change is that in general, precipitation patterns will become more extreme, with fewer, larger storms and longer dry spells in between. The aftermath of this shift, borne out by the effect the changing water availability will have on vegetative productivity, however, is less well known. Previous research showed that productivity changes with the total annual precipitation, but the measured effect of a shift to a more extreme distribution is less consistent. Research seeking to understand this aspect of the changing precipitation pattern question has typically been conducted through small-scale or short-duration intervention experiments, where the availability of rainwater is artificially manipulated. This makes extrapolating the research to other climes or biomes difficult.http://phys.org/news/2013-02-biomes-climate-decrease-vegetative-productivity.html
Environment Mon, 11 Feb 2013 11:51:36 ESTnews279805884Climate change evident across Europe, report saysClimate change is affecting all regions in Europe, causing a wide range of impacts on society and the environment. Further impacts are expected in the future, potentially causing high damage costs, according to the latest assessment published by the European Environment Agency this week.http://phys.org/news/2012-11-climate-evident-europe.html
Environment Mon, 26 Nov 2012 11:45:01 ESTnews273152693Study estimates rate of intensification of extreme tropical rainfall with global warmingExtreme precipitation in the tropics comes in many forms: thunderstorm complexes, flood-inducing monsoons and wide-sweeping cyclones like the recent Hurricane Isaac.http://phys.org/news/2012-09-intensification-extreme-tropical-rainfall-global.html
Earth Sciences Mon, 17 Sep 2012 05:50:45 ESTnews267079832Soil moisture and hot days linked in a global study(Phys.org) -- For the first time scientists at ETH Zurich have examined globally the connection between soil moisture and extreme heat with measured data. Their study shows that precipitation deficits increase the probability of hot days in many regions of the world. The results will help to better assess heat risks.http://phys.org/news/2012-07-soil-moisture-hot-days-linked.html
Earth Sciences Tue, 17 Jul 2012 06:27:23 ESTnews261725233Taming uncertainty in climate prediction(PhysOrg.com) -- Uncertainty just became more certain. Atmospheric and computational researchers at Pacific Northwest National Laboratory used a new scientific approach called "uncertainty quantification," or UQ, that allowed them to better simulate precipitation. Their study is the first to apply a stochastic sampling method to select model inputs for precipitation representations and improve atmospheric simulations within a regional weather research and forecasting model. Their approach marks a significant advancement in representing precipitation, one of the most difficult climate components to simulate.http://phys.org/news/2012-03-uncertainty-climate.html
Earth Sciences Fri, 23 Mar 2012 10:20:01 ESTnews251715096GPM microwave imager instrument for NASA and JAXA mission arrives at Goddard(PhysOrg.com) -- The Global Precipitation Measurement Microwave Imager (GMI) instrument has arrived at NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center in Greenbelt, Md. for integration into NASA's upcoming Earth science spacecraft. The instrument was built at the Ball Aerospace and Technologies Corp., Boulder, Colo. http://phys.org/news/2012-03-gpm-microwave-imager-instrument-nasa.html
Space Exploration Fri, 02 Mar 2012 08:20:02 ESTnews249898212